


Nollaig Éireannach (An Irish Christmas)

by lfg1986



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017) RPF, Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types
Genre: Boys In Love, Christmas, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Happy Ending, Irish Christmas, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Romance, Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:21:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28096065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lfg1986/pseuds/lfg1986
Summary: Five months after his breakup with Armie, Timmy receives something unexpected in the mail : an itinerary for a trip to Ireland for Christmas, which Armie had booked while they were still together as a gift for Timmy's upcoming 30th birthday.  Having assumed Armie would have canceled it months ago, he is stunned to learn that they are apparently still booked to go, and the trip is now just a few weeks away.  He hasn't spoken to Armie since the split, but when he gathers the courage to call, he discovers that Armie forgot to cancel the trip.  And what's even more surprising is that Armie suggests that they still go on the trip together as planned, as a way to re-establish their friendship.  Going against his better judgment, Timmy takes him up on the offer.  Spending 10 days touring the Irish countryside at Christmas seems like it would be magical, but things get complicated fast when Timmy's unresolved feelings for Armie make it hard for him to keep things strictly "friendly" between them, which isn't helped by the fact that Armie keeps sending mixed signals and muddying the waters further.  Will the "luck of the Irish" bring them back together, or has their luck finally run out for good?
Relationships: Timothée Chalamet/Armie Hammer
Comments: 108
Kudos: 175





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovely readers!!
> 
> I told you you'd be hearing from me again soon, and here I am! This idea popped into my head a few weeks ago while I was struggling to finish one of my other WIPs, and it took complete hold of me and refused to let go. For anyone who knows me, I *love* to travel, and one of my favorite places in the world is Ireland. Like...I'm a wee bit obsessed with it and would love to move there someday. And since this pandemic has been making my unsatisfied wanderlust go a little stir crazy, I figured what better way to deal with it than to channel it into my writing. And thus, this fic was born!
> 
> And just as a note of reassurance, despite this first chapter being a bit on the heavy side because it's mostly exposition/background/set-up, this is meant to be mostly a fun, fluffy story with bits of tension and angst mixed in. I'm hoping to actually accomplish what I set out to do when I first started By The Firelight's Glow, which ended up a bit more on the angsty side than I originally planned. But I have a lot of cool, fun things planned for this one, and I hope you guys enjoy the ride!
> 
> Thank you to those of you who have been my personal cheerleaders for my writing in the recent months. I cannot tell you how much it means and how helpful it is to keep going knowing I have such amazing support behind me. You know who you are and I love you dearly. <3
> 
> And now to the story! :D

Looking down at the contents of the manilla folder that’s mixed in with all his other junk mail and bills that had accumulated over the past week while he’d been in the Hamptons with his family for Thanksgiving, Timmy is more than a little confused by what he finds. It has to be a mistake, right? Or the universe playing a cruel joke on him, reminding him of what he almost had before everything got fucked up.

But in any case, he’s left currently staring at an itinerary for the trip to Ireland Armie had booked for them to take the week of Christmas and his birthday. And he has no idea what to make of that.

When Armie had asked him how he wanted to celebrate his 30th birthday, he’d taken the time to consider his options carefully. Armie had volunteered to pay for everything, no limits, and while normally Timmy would feel guilty about that, Armie insisted that he deserved to be spoiled every once in a while, and there was no better occasion than for his 30th birthday. His _dirty thirty_ , as Armie had jokingly called it.

And Timmy had to admit, after the past few years of keeping things lowkey because by the time December rolled around, he was too tired from all the months of filming and promo to do much more than have a few friends over and have a kickass meal, it might be nice to actually plan something big and exciting to celebrate his birthday in style this year. He had a much lighter filming schedule during the last half of the year, and he wouldn’t have to start promo for the movie he’d filmed in the spring until after the new year, so he decided he and Armie should take a trip somewhere.

He’d always wanted to see Ireland, but somehow, even amongst his many travels for movie locations and promotion, he hadn’t managed to make it to the Emerald Isle yet. And when he’d looked up pictures of Ireland at Christmastime, he’d been immediately sold. Armie was fully onboard with the idea, as well, and they spent several days looking over the different parts of the country they wanted to see and drafting an itinerary. While Timmy had been fine with just renting a car and driving themselves, Armie had suggested that they could hire a private chauffer to drive them, that way they could both relax and enjoy the idyllic scenery together without having to navigate maps or foreign road signs. And with that last decision made, Armie arranged everything with one of the Irish tour companies and officially booked their 10 day Irish getaway just for the two of them, plus one chauffer.

That had been back in May, two months before the fight that had abruptly ended their relationship. After more than five years together, one stupid fight had managed to unravel the best thing to ever happen to him. It hadn’t even been that big of a fight, at least by their standards. It just happened to come while they were both in the middle of filming different projects in L.A. and were more stressed than usual. 

A misunderstanding about Timmy’s filming schedule on a night he was supposed to have a date night with Armie to reconnect after weeks of just missing each other led to Armie questioning Timmy’s priorities in their relationship. Which then led to Timmy becoming defensive and stubborn, and they both ended up saying some pretty hurtful things in the heat of the moment. There had been a point when he could have fixed things, could have admitted that Armie wasn’t entirely wrong, but that more than anything he wanted to be with Armie and he’d do whatever it took to prove it. But pride can be an ugly thing sometimes, and instead of spending the next several days enjoying endless rounds of makeup sex, he found himself sitting alone in their too-empty house with the taste of bitter tears on his tongue.

After that project had wrapped a couple weeks later, he flew back to New York and allowed himself a proper meltdown. He was still surrounded by Armie’s things, their shared apartment still had traces of Armie in every corner, and it was only after Will insisted he come with him upstate for a few days while the rest of his friends helped clean Armie’s things out of the apartment and ship them back to LA that Timmy could go more than an hour without breaking down in tears.

It had taken him several weeks to regain any sense of normalcy, but eventually the fierce sting of heartbreak gave way to the dull ache of acceptance and he tried to begin the process of moving on. Aside from a single text on Armie’s birthday, to which he received a short but polite reply of thanks, they hadn’t had any contact since the breakup. As autumn rolled around, he spent a few weeks shooting an action comedy movie in Vegas, and by the time he finished that, he felt more like his old self again. 

In order to appease his friends, who’d insisted he should get back out on the dating scene, he went on a couple dates in early November. But despite receiving a pretty decent blowjob from one of them, his heart wasn’t in it and he didn’t call either of them back.

Spending time with his family for Thanksgiving had been exactly what he’d needed to recharge and feel like maybe things would be ok again. He’d completely unplugged from the rest of the world, just immersing himself with the people he loved most for a full week and enjoying tons of amazing food, lots of fun times playing games and reconnecting with his past self when his mother inevitably brought out the old photo albums.

He came back to the city feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle whatever life threw at him next. That is, until he opened his mail and suddenly it felt like someone just poured a bucket of icy water over his head. It seems the ghost of relationships past isn’t quite ready to let him move on after all.

He stares at the packet of paper for what feels like an hour, reading over the details of the trip he and Armie had carefully outlined months prior. He hadn’t thought much about it since they broke up, figuring Armie would have canceled it a long time ago. He wonders if Armie just forgot about it entirely, but that doesn’t seem like something Armie would do.

He smooths his hand over the front page of the itinerary, which is just the basic overview of the trip and their various destinations, along with their accommodations and the tickets for the few attractions they booked ahead of time. Taking a deep breath, he flips to the next page, which begins the more detailed outline of their plans. They had decided to start in Dublin first and see the sights of the city all decked out for the holidays before making their way to the more rural areas of the country.

He only makes it to Day 3 before he can feel the tears welling up behind his eyelids and he shuts the pages of the packet, practically throwing it the few feet from where he was standing to land with a splat on his coffee table. He can’t let himself get caught up in thinking about what could have been, no matter how magical it sounds. He can go to Ireland whenever he wants, it doesn’t need to be on this particular trip, for this particular occasion, or with that particular person.

But still, he knows he needs to talk to Armie. Maybe it isn’t too late for him to cancel and get at least some of his money back. Or if not, he can offer to pay him back for whatever it had cost. The last thing he wants is to feel guilty about Armie wasting all that money on a trip that never happened. Or he supposes Armie could still go, enjoy the beauty and wonder of Ireland at Christmas on his own. But seeing both of their names listed at the top of the packet, reminding him of how he used to love seeing their names written together, like that was the way it should always be, had created an ache low in his gut, the longing for what he knows he could have had. He knows he needs to call Armie and straighten this out, but maybe he isn’t ready quite yet.

He decides to sleep on it, like maybe somehow the large knot of pain and regret would magically dissipate overnight and talking to Armie again after five months wouldn’t make him want to die. It’s the longest they’ve ever gone without communicating since they met. Even before they officially got together romantically, there would still be there frequent texts and Facetime sessions to keep them from ever being too far from each other’s minds. 

He’d taken it for granted at the time, figuring it would always be that way between them. But then the day in late September he received the news he got the leading role in Christopher Nolan’s new movie shooting next year, his first thought was to call Armie. He was halfway to pushing “call” on Armie’s number when he realized he couldn’t really do that anymore. He’d spent the rest of that night ignoring all the other calls of congratulations from his friends and family and getting rip-roaring drunk, to the point where Guillian had to come over and make sure he didn’t accidentally die from alcohol poisoning.

Waking up now to the chill of the early December air makes Timmy shiver even under his blanket. He knows it’s not only the cold causing the reaction, but the anticipation of talking to Armie again after so long, not knowing how he’ll react to Timmy’s call, or if he’ll even answer. Or worse, he does answer but then Timmy gets tongue-tied or blurts out something stupid that makes things even more awkward than they already are. He’s never had to censor himself around Armie before, and he’s not even sure if he knows how to do that.

It takes him until late in the afternoon before he finally gathers enough courage to make the call. He’s been obsessively glancing over at his coffee table all day, thinking maybe one time he’d look and the packet would just magically be gone, and he’d be able to chock the whole thing up to a crazy fever dream and forget about it. But when the sun starts sinking behind the building next to him and the chill in the apartment starts to set it again, he knows he needs to just bite the bullet.

He takes out his phone and scrolls to Armie’s name in his contacts. There used to be a time when Armie would constantly be at the top of his “recent call” list, but that hasn’t been the case for a long time. Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, he spends another ten minutes just staring at his phone before he finally hits the “call” button and prays for the best.

The line rings twice, and just as the third ring is about to start, the call connects and Timmy stops breathing. “I’ve been expecting your call.” The abrupt greeting catches Timmy off guard, but there’s no annoyance in his tone. In fact, it comes across with much more warmth than he’d been expecting, with maybe a hint of tired resignation mixed in as well. He can’t deny how comforting it is to hear Armie’s voice again, despite being a bit startled by his opening statement.

“Uh hi. Umm, yeah.” It takes a minute before Armie’s words actually hit him. “Wait, you have?”

There’s a quiet exhale of breath on the other end, and when Armie speaks again, Timmy can hear the hint of a smile in his voice. “Yeah well, when I saw what was in the mail last week, I had a feeling you’d be wondering what was going on. I assume you received the same thing I did.”

A mix of emotions pass through him in quick succession. He’s already not sure how to process this conversation, and it’s barely just started. But then he remembered that they’d included both their New York and L.A. addresses on the registration form, not knowing exactly where they’d be when things arrived. “Uh yeah, I did. I was pretty surprised, actually. And confused.”

Another breathy chuckle. “Yeah, you and me, both. I had kinda completely forgotten about it until the packet showed up. I had called to explain the situation and they said there was still time to cancel, but…” Armie trails off and Timmy has no idea what to expect at the end of that sentence.

“But what?”

There’s a long pause, and for a minute Timmy thinks the call dropped out. But then there’s a bit of shuffling on the other line before Armie’s voice comes back. “I dunno, I thought…maybe we could still go, like we planned to.”

The words play in a loop in his head for a long minute, but they fail to make any more sense the 67th time than they had the first. “Umm, I’m sorry, _what_?”

“I just feel like it would be a huge waste if we didn’t go, ya know? We have the whole thing already planned out and I remember how excited you were about it. And I mean, you only turn 30 once, and I want you to have this. I mean, if – if you still want it.” The sudden uncertainty in Armie’s voice makes Timmy’s head spin. He has no idea what to think about any of this, or if he was somehow imagining all of it.

After a long minute, he draws in a slow breath. “Ok wait. I just want to make sure I have this right. You want us to go on the trip you booked for us when we were still together, which was meant as a romantic getaway, even though we broke up and haven’t spoken in months? Is that what you’re proposing?”

There’s only a brief pause before Armie’s answers comes. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

Timmy opens his mouth to say something in response to that, but nothing manages to come out. Every time he tries to come up with the words to express how insane this whole idea sounds, he can’t seem to actually speak them. In the end, he can only ask one question. “Why?”

There’s another long pause, but this time he can hear Armie’s bed creaking as he changes position. Mostly likely sitting up from where he’d been lying before. He hates that he still remembers what each of the various creaks of that bed sound like. “Because…I feel like I owe this to you. After the way things ended, I just…look I know it sounds weird and I understand if you don’t want to do it. I just thought it might be nice to go and enjoy ourselves. Give us a chance to catch up, maybe find a way to be friends again. If you think that’s something you want, of course.”

Timmy let’s Armie’s words sink in for several seconds. He wants to be friends again? It’s not like Timmy doesn’t want that, too, he’s just not sure how that will even work. He knows he’s nowhere near over Armie, and he sees about a thousand potential ways that going on this trip could be a total disaster.

And yet, what ends up coming out of his mouth, seemingly without his full control, is, “Ok, yeah.”

He doesn’t even have a chance to take it back or reconsider before Armie’s voice comes back over the line. “Yeah?”

The sudden excitement – and is that maybe the tiniest hint of hope he hears? – in Armie’s response causes a tiny burst of happiness to flare in his chest. And though logically he knows this is probably a terrible idea, he can’t help but hope for a Christmas miracle that maybe it will be ok. “Yeah. We can go. As…friends.”

“Right, friends.”

Timmy’s pretty sure he imagines the subtle air of disappointment as Armie says the word, but he tries not to focus on it. Instead, he focuses all his energy into not throwing up over the fact that he just agreed to spend 10 days on a romantic Christmas vacation with his ex whom he most definitely is still in love with.

Once the decision is made, they discuss logistics of getting there and back. The only flight with seats left Armie can find from L.A. to New York leaves him with almost a 24 hour layover until their joint flight from New York to Dublin. At first, Armie says he’ll just book a room in the airport hotel. But when he says it, something about it strikes Timmy as wrong.

“No, that’s silly. You should just come stay here.” The words are out of his mouth before he can think better of it, or the implications of his offer.

There’s a beat of silence and then, “Are you sure?”

And the truth is, he isn’t sure…about any of this, really. But if they were going to try to get back to being friends, then he should act like it. “Yeah, it’s fine. You um…you still have your key, right?”

He tries not to think about the way he still thinks of it as “his key”, or the way his body floods with warmth when Armie confirms he does indeed still have it. So they agree Armie will crash on Timmy’s couch for one night, and then they will fly to Ireland together from there.

When Timmy hangs up the phone almost an hour later, the sky is nearly dark, and he has absolutely no idea what he’s just gotten himself into. In less than three weeks, he’ll be reunited with Armie after months of being apart, and years of emotional baggage still to sort through. That thought fills him with a thousand emotions and questions. He cycles through them as he eats a quick dinner, barely even tasting the food because he’s so distracted by the very unexpected and potentially complicated situation he now finds himself in. By the time he finally collapses into bed later that night, he hasn’t managed to answer a single one of the burning questions that have been plaguing his mind since he hung up the phone hours ago. And just as he’s closing his eyes in an attempt to force himself to get some sleep, another one suddenly pops into his head: what is he going to _wear_?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I hope you all are having a great week and that the stress of the holidays isn't getting to you too much. <3
> 
> I'm back with the next installment of this new adventure! Although this chapter is still mostly just set-up, I felt it was important to give the boys' reunion a bit of time to breathe and not just rush right into the main part of the story. But the chapter does end with their arrival in Dublin, so after this, the real fun will begin!
> 
> Thank you all SO MUCH for all the amazing comments and kudos and messages on tumblr. It's always so exciting to start something new that you're passionate about and have it be received so well. You guys are the best! <333
> 
> Ok, here we go!

Timmy spends the three weeks leading up to their trip frantically getting things ready and trying not to totally freak out over the entire situation. He has no idea how he went from not having spoken a word to Armie for months after their breakup to somehow agreeing to spend ten days with him in one of the most beautiful and idyllic countries in the world. And worse yet, Armie wants to be his _friend_. Something he isn’t sure they ever really were, if he’s honest. From the first time they met, there had been this constant undercurrent of desire and longing between them that doesn’t exist between two people who are just friends. And now he’s just supposed to forget all of that, to pretend like he doesn’t still wake up some mornings with the taste of Armie on his tongue and an ache in his chest at letting the best thing in his life slip through his fingers? If that isn’t a complete recipe for disaster, he doesn’t know what is.

And yet, every time he takes out his phone to call Armie and tell him he can’t go through with it after all, something keeps him from pushing the “call” button on Armie’s number. Instead he’ll call one of his other friends and vent to them until he eventually calms himself down enough to where he can feel at least moderately ok with everything again.

He gets a mix of reactions when he tells his friends about the situation. Cody and Jake both think it’s a bad idea and that he’s setting himself up for more heartbreak. Unsurprisingly, Guillian is totally on board with the plan. When Timmy inquires why he isn’t more worried, he just shrugs. “Hey look, if your ex wants to pay for a fancy trip for your birthday, whether out of guilt or obligation or whatever, I say let him. There’s no rule that says you have to spend every minute with him while you’re there. If things go south with you two, you can go out to one of the dozens of pubs around and find a cute redheaded lad or lass to help you forget your woes.”

While Timmy isn’t completely sold on _that_ suggestion, he can’t really argue with the main point behind it. Guillian is right, if things between him and Armie get too weird or uncomfortable, he can always go do his own thing for a while. It is _his_ birthday trip, after all, and he should be able to enjoy it however he wants.

But it’s Will’s reaction that shocks him the most. After telling him the plan while they’re out to lunch one day, Timmy waits anxiously for Will to say something, knowing he’s the one of his friends who will be straight with him and not sugarcoat his true feelings. It takes several long beats of silence as Will finishes his slice of pizza, until finally he just says, “That’s nice of him.”

Timmy just gapes in disbelief as Will reaches for another piece of pizza and continues eating like Timmy hadn’t said anything at all. Will – who of all his friends had always been the most critical of his relationship with Armie, even though he’d eventually warmed up to him and had been happy for them once things got serious – doesn’t have anything to say to this rather unexpected turn of events? Timmy isn’t buying it. “Wait, that’s it? You don’t have anything else to say about this? You don’t think it’s a terrible idea?”

Will stops mid-bite and lowers the remaining pizza to his plate at the same time he raises his eyes to meet Timmy’s for the first time since Timmy dropped the bombshell. His demeanor is very calm, which is somehow unnerving. “Do you _want_ me to say it’s a terrible idea?”

Timmy opens his mouth to respond, but suddenly he’s unable to find the right words. After a few seconds, he finally closes his mouth again, unsure of the real answer to Will’s question. After another beat, Will takes pity on him.

“Look, Tim, if you want me to list all the reasons why this could potentially end in disaster, I will. If that’s what you’re looking for, for me to talk you out of it. But I don’t think that’s really why you’re telling me, is it?”

Timmy is completely frozen, unable to think of any kind of response that doesn’t make him sound either utterly pathetic or like a total asshole. But Will only waits a few seconds before continuing.

“Hey man, it’s your life, and your relationship with Armie is between you two. If you want to go on the trip, for whatever reason, then you should. I know I haven’t always been the guy’s biggest fan, but I do know how much he cares for you, and I don’t believe he would suggest going as friends if his intentions weren’t genuine. What I think about it doesn’t matter, It only matters how _you_ feel about it. Just be sure you’re prepared to handle the potential fallout of whatever you decide.”

Timmy doesn’t respond right away, giving himself time to really absorb Will’s words and take in the full meaning of his advice. After a couple minutes, he feels like a huge weight has been lifted from his chest and he lets out a long breath, finally letting himself relax and come to some sort of peace with his decision. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

Will gives him a half-smile and picks his pizza back up. “I hope you have a nice time. And of course I’m expecting a fabulous Irish gift upon your return.” His lips twist into a grin and Timmy snorts, tossing a napkin at him before breaking out into his own blinding grin.

“I think I can manage that.”

After his conversation with Will, he feels a lot better about the whole thing, even allowing himself to get excited about it. He goes a bit overboard with clothes shopping, essentially ending up with an entirely new winter wardrobe by the time he finishes. But he figures that after living with Armie for almost the entire five years they were together, he’s basically memorized everything in Timmy’s massive closet, and he wants a chance to show off some new stuff after their months of not seeing each other. He does his best not to think about the reasons why he still cares about impressing Armie and just lets himself enjoy the simple pleasure of treating himself to a round of new outfits for his upcoming trip.

Aside from a couple quick texts back and forth to confirm plans, he and Armie don’t really talk much during the time leading up to the trip. On the day Armie is due to arrive, Timmy wakes up in a cold sweat and spends the majority of the day stress cleaning the apartment, despite the fact that he’s not even going to be there for the next almost two weeks and Armie is well aware of his messy living habits. It gives him something to do other than think about seeing Armie for the first time in months and all the things he wants to say to him but knows he probably shouldn’t.

Armie texts him when he lands at JFK airport, and while Timmy had offered to pick him up, Armie didn’t mind taking an Uber over to save Timmy the trouble. So instead, he spends the next 40 minutes making a groove in his carpet pacing back and forth across his living room until he hears a quiet knock at the door, which makes him freeze mid-step. It takes him a full 30 seconds before he can force himself to move, walking on slightly shaky legs to the door and taking a deep breath before he turns the knob and swings it open.

And there on the other side, carrying a rolling suitcase in one hand and a backpack slung over the other shoulder, a blue beany covering his head and a warm smile on his face, is Armie. Timmy’s heart stutters in his chest when his eyes connect with Armie’s, and for several seconds he forgets how to breathe. He knew seeing Armie again would be intense, but he’s fully unprepared for the cascade of emotions that wash over him now as he stands there in the doorway and just _stares_.

“Hey, Timmy.”

The deep rumble of Armie’s voice pulls him out of his stupor and he’s suddenly a jumble of nerves. “Um, h – hi. It’s uh, good…to see you.”

Armie’s smile widens and Timmy’s mouth goes dry. “You, too.”

They stand there for another awkward beat before Timmy finally realizes Armie is waiting for him to move so he can come into the apartment. “Oh shit, let me…sorry, I um…I wasn’t expecting you to knock, is all.” He stutters his way through his explanation as he backs into the apartment to give Armie room to come in, almost tripping over his own feet as Armie crosses the threshold and enters the apartment for the first time since before they’d broken up.

Armie clears his throat quietly as he puts his suitcase and backpack down just inside the door, turning back to close the door before he answers. “Right, yeah. I know you mentioned me using my key, but I figured since you were here and all…I thought it might be weird to just walk in.”

A small swirl of relief passes through him when he realizes that Armie is just as nervous as he is about seeing him again. The tiny waver in his voice belies the confident smile on his face and Timmy lets out a low breath, trying to relax a little knowing that this isn’t easy for either one of them.

“It’s no problem. I’m glad you made it here ok. I know the weather was predicting a bad storm to roll through, but it looks like it shifted south of us.”

“Yeah, I kept expecting my flight to be delayed, but luck was on my side for once.”

There’s a long beat of silence where they just stand looking at each other. Despite all the complicated feelings that come with it, it really is good to see Armie again after so long. And he looks…well, Armie always looks good but tonight he’s got that extra bit of gorgeous going on that used to make Timmy fall to his knees without a second thought. But obviously he can’t do that now, so before he makes a total fool of himself and starts drooling all over the place, he clears his throat and scratches at the back of his neck.

“Umm, you want a beer or something?”

A wide smile instantly breaks out on Armie’s face and he gratefully accepts the offer. Timmy tries not to trip over himself as he makes his way into the kitchen and Armie moves over to the couch to settle in. It’s such a foreign thing to see Armie sitting in what was once _their_ apartment now acting like a guest. Which he supposes is what he is, but it just feels so wrong, and not something Timmy had ever thought he’d have to deal with.

When he reaches into the fridge to get them some beers, he freezes mid-grab. It only now dawns on him that all he has is the fancy craft beer that Armie insisted on buying when they’d first moved in together. Timmy hadn’t been a huge beer drinker to begin with, so he hadn’t been picky enough to care. But after a while, he actually came around to really like the stuff, and soon it became the only kind they ever bought. It never even occurred to him to stop buying it after he and Armie broke up.

Praying Armie won’t notice, or at least won’t comment on it, he grabs two bottles and closes the fridge. When he hands Armie his, Armie thanks him and makes a happy sound of approval as he takes the first sip, but otherwise he doesn’t say anything, and Timmy tries to calm his nerves as he settles into the armchair next to the couch and desperately tries to think of what to say next. But despite having a million things in his head a few hours ago, now he can’t think of one of them to save his life. Thankfully Armie saves them both from another horribly awkward silence.

“So are you all packed for tomorrow?”

The idea of making small talk with Armie would normally seem laughable after everything they’ve been through over the years, but right now he’s just happy for any excuse to distract himself from remembering why this is supposed to be weird.

“Uh yeah. Well mostly, except for a few things I still need to use between now and then. But all the most important things are ready to go, so hopefully we won’t have any issues tomorrow.”

Armie gives a small nod and takes another sip of his beer. “That’s good. I was so paranoid I was going to forget something, I triple checked my list, then had Niki look over it once more for good measure.” He lets out a self-conscious chuckle and Timmy’s heart clenches. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed that sound these past months.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be fine. How is Niki, by the way?” Getting a clean break from Armie meant also not talking to any of his friends, either, despite the fact that they’d all become so close over the years. It had added to his feeling of loneliness when he’d come back to New York and it felt like half of his social circle was suddenly gone.

Armie’s face shifts into a fond expression. “He’s really good. Keeping pretty busy with the baby and all, but he’s happier than I’ve ever seen him. I know he misses you, though. You should give him a call sometime, I’m sure he’d love to catch up.”

Timmy feels a pang of guilt at Armie’s words. Maybe it hadn’t been fair of him to completely disappear the way he did. He’d just figured it was easier that way, but then he hadn’t really ever thought that Armie’s friends might want to stay in touch after the break up. People usually chose sides in these situations, and he never would have expected any of them to choose him. Perhaps they hadn’t wanted to choose at all.

“I – I will. I miss him, too. And Tyler, and Ash, and the others.”

Another stretch of silence falls over them, but this time it doesn’t feel as awkward as before. They sit drinking their beers for another couple minutes until Armie finishes his and sets the bottle on the little side table next to him with a soft clink.

“Listen, Timmy. I know this whole thing – the trip and all – isn’t exactly the most conventional idea given our history. But I meant what I said about wanting to get back to being friends, and I’m hoping this trip will serve as a nice starting point for that. At the very least, you’ll get to see Ireland at the most magical time of the year, so if nothing else, it’ll still be worth it. But it doesn’t have to be awkward if we don’t let it. We can start fresh, wipe the slate clean and just try to have a fun time without all the useless baggage weighing us down.”

Timmy takes several beats to consider Armie’s words before responding. “I’d really like that.” And it’s true, despite all the unresolved feelings he still has and will probably always have, he’s felt like a huge part of him has been missing for all these months, and if Armie wants to start over and try being just friends, he’s willing to give it a shot. And if it’s too hard…well, they can cross that bridge when they get to it.

The smile that crosses over Armie’s face at his answer sends a flood of warmth through his whole body, and he thinks maybe this really will be ok. They share another beer and catch up a little more, mostly staying on the surface of things to start, but Timmy can’t deny that it’s the first time he’s felt truly happy in months.

When they finish their second round, it’s pretty late and they agree it’s best if they turn in for the night. Armie doesn’t even hesitate to get himself set up on the couch to sleep, and though there’s a part of Timmy that wants to say “fuck it” and just invite Armie to sleep with him in their bed, he isn’t sure he can handle that just yet. So he just says goodnight and retreats to the bedroom alone. It takes him a long time to fall asleep knowing that Armie is in the next room, but eventually exhaustion wins out.

The next morning, Armie surprises him by making breakfast for them both, and it feels so natural to have him shuffling around the kitchen again that it takes every ounce of restraint Timmy has not to lean over and kiss him when Armie hands him his plate. He knows Armie said he wanted a fresh start, but there are some things that will take time to get used to not doing after years of it being part of their regular routine. Thankfully, they eat in relative quiet, and the small bits of conversation they do have stay on the lighter side. 

After breakfast, Timmy finishes packing the last few things he needs for the trip and makes sure he has the itinerary and other paperwork ready to go. Armie mostly stays out of his way, only once asking if there’s anything he can do to help. Timmy can’t think of anything left that he hasn’t covered, so once he’s set to go, they end up playing a few rounds of Call of Duty until it’s time to leave for the airport.

Their flight isn’t until 7:00, but they give themselves plenty of time to get through security, knowing it will be crazier than normal with all the people traveling for the holidays. After years of constantly traveling all over the world for work, both together and separately, this is something that feels familiar and safe between them. They have a pretty good routine down for navigating airports with the least amount of hassle and stress, and by the time they’re sitting at the gate waiting to board, Timmy has practically forgotten all the reasons why this should feel weird.

It’s only when they’re on board the plane and it starts rolling backwards that he remembers how much he hates flying, and how Armie’s presence was always the thing that calmed him down. Having had to go without it for the last few months and now having him suddenly there again is a bit of a surreal feeling, but he tries not to think about it too much.

And when they start tarrying down the runway in earnest and his breathing picks up and his eyes slam closed, he tries not to cry in surprised relief when Armie’s hand covers his on the armrest and squeezes tightly. Armie doesn’t say anything, but just having his hand there to keep him anchored is all he needs to get through the worst of his anxiety during lift off.

Once the plane levels out at their cruising altitude a few minutes later, Armie gives one more little squeeze to Timmy’s hand before carefully removing his own and moving it to rest on his lap. Timmy takes several deep breaths in, letting his heartrate return to normal. “Thank you.”

Armie turns his head to look at him with a soft smile. “Of course. Not everything has to change, you know.” 

Timmy nods and gives him a weak smile in return, but the words run on a loop in his mind for the next few hours until he finally manages to fall into a restless sleep. 

When he wakes again, the plane is bright from the morning sun streaming in through the windows. It takes him a minute to realize that at some point in his sleep he had shifted so that he was leaning on Armie’s shoulder, and when he shifts his head back to look up, he sees that Armie is awake and looking back at him. He sits up quickly, trying to ignore the ache in his neck from the awkward angle. “Sorry about that.” It comes out a low mumble, and he’s not even sure Armie can understand him.

“No need to apologize, I’m happy to serve as a makeshift pillow whenever you need.” There’s a hint of teasing in his voice despite the seemingly sincere offer.

Timmy can’t help but snort and roll his eyes in mock exasperation. “Good to know.”

He can see Armie getting ready to make a witty comeback, but thankfully he’s saved by the pilot coming on over the intercom. “Attention passengers, we are making our final approach into Dublin and should be on the ground in about 15 minutes. Please make your way back to your seats and fasten your seatbelts, making sure to stow away any loose items used during the flight as we begin our descent. Thank you.”

As they make their way back to the ground, Armie repeats the same gesture of grabbing Timmy’s hand and holding on that he did during takeoff, and this time Timmy doesn’t bother to question it, just allows the comfort and stability it brings him to help keep his anxiety at a manageable level until finally the plane touches down and rolls to a stop at the gate.

As the rest of the passengers on the plane start to gather their things and prepare to deboard, the captain comes back over the intercom. “Welcome to Dublin, Ireland. The local time is 9:34 a.m., the temperature is currently 47 degrees Fahrenheit with a chance of snow at 40 percent. I hope you enjoyed your flight with us. Happy holidays!”

Timmy lets out a low breath and reaches for his backpack. It takes another few minutes for the plane doors to open and the first passengers to exit. Armie moves out into the aisle first, turning back to Timmy with a wide smile on his face.

“So…you ready to do this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now that they've arrived in Dublin, are there any thoughts or predictions you want to share? I adore interacting with you all in the comments here, or you can always follow me on tumblr @lfg1986-backup and message me there as well!! I hope to have the next chapter up within the week but I don't want to make any promises. But I'm pumped to keep working on this so I will do my best not to have any long breaks in between chapters on this one. :D
> 
> And I hope those of you who celebrate it have a very Merry Christmas! ❤️💚


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! :)
> 
> Here's the next chapter of the boys' Irish adventure, and they have finally landed in Ireland! This chapter will have them going to a couple of Dublin's sights as they get acclimated with the city a bit.
> 
> So just to kind of let you all know where I'm at with this, I had originally planned to write 1-2 chapters per day of their trip, depending on the need for some of them to be a bit more involved. But then I realized that I had three distinct elements of this story I wanted to tell - 1) A fun trip around the country of Ireland, including a mix of some of the more popular spots and some hidden gems along the way, 2) getting to learn about different Irish Christmas traditions and the different fun events and offerings that the various cities have at Christmastime, and 3) obviously the relationship between the boys and how it develops as they are on this trip together. And I thought that if I tried to limit myself to a smaller number of chapters, even if I made them longer, that I would most likely end up shortchanging one of more of those areas of the story. So instead, I've decided to stretch things out a bit, write shorter chapters (lol, which...you know me, will probably still be 2k-4k), and end up having more of them than originally planned. So even though I do have a pretty set idea of where they will be on each day of their trip and certain events that will happen in each place, that question mark in the chapter count is a true question mark. I'm going to let the story go where it needs to from chapter to chapter, and try to let each of the 3 story elements breathe a bit so it can be a more rounded story and I don't feel rushed or pressured to cram things in along the way. I hope no one is too disappointed by this decision. ;)
> 
> And as always, I cannot thank you all enough for all the amazing and thoughtful and supportive comments I've received for this story, and all the kudos and tumblr messages. You guys are so awesome, and it makes my heart so happy to know you are all as excited as I am for this journey. <333
> 
> OK, I'm done rambling now. I hope you enjoy the chapter!! :D

As soon as Timmy steps off the plane, something passes through him, a cool air of something he can’t quite explain, but somehow it just _feels_ magical. He knows it’s ridiculous, and he shakes his head, chuckling to himself as he follows Armie in the direction of the baggage claim.

They ride the escalator down to the street level of the airport, and just as they’re about to reach the bottom, something catches his eye. Someone holding a sign that says “Hammer-Chalamet” on it, and for a second his heart clenches at the way seeing their names put together like that makes him feel. He’d always thought one day that would become a reality, but then…well, he doesn’t want to start down that road now.

He nudges Armie and points his chin in the direction of the person holding the sign as they step off the moving stairs and onto the solid ground. Armie looks over and a small smile crosses his face.

“That must be our chauffer. The itinerary said they’d meet us at baggage claim.”

A flutter of anticipation moves through Timmy’s stomach, eager to meet the person who will be joining them on their journey for the next several days. He can tell it’s a man by the lower half of the body and the large, weathered hands clutching the edges of the sign, but his face is hidden behind the large piece of cardboard.

They stop a few feet in front of the man, who is around 6 feet tall with broad shoulders, and Armie clears his throat softly before introducing them.

“Excuse me, sir. I think you’re looking for us.”

The man lowers the sign to finally show his face, revealing bright blue eyes that light up with delight when they land on the two of them, a wide smile breaking out over his face.

“Well hello!” He tucks the sign under one arm and extends the other in invitation. “My name is Colin O’Leary, and I’ll be drivin’ ya around our beautiful country.” 

The soft Irish lilt that comes out of his mouth when he speaks puts an instant smile on Timmy’s face. It reminds him of Saoirse and how he loved listening to her speak, the soothing cadence of her voice always made him feel calm and peaceful.

Armie shakes the man’s hand with a matching grin. “Hi Colin. I’m Armie Hammer, and this is Timothée Chalamet.”

Armie nods toward Timmy, and when he releases Colin’s hand, Timmy replaces it with his own. “Most people just call me Timmy. Nice to meet you, Colin.”

“Lovely to meet you both! You picked a great time to visit; there’s nothing quite like Ireland at Christmastime.”

“That’s what we hear.” Armie smiles and turns to look at Timmy with a fond expression, and just for a split second, the last five months melt away and everything is how it used to be. His breath catches in his throat at the way Armie is looking at him. That look that used to turn him into a pile of putty in Armie’s hands, completely at his mercy to do what with him whatever he pleased. It usually resulted in a pretty spectacular orgasm and the inability to walk straight for a few days afterward, but he never once complained.

“You two will have a wonderful time. There’s lots of romance in the air this time of year.”

And just like that, reality crashes back down around him and he starts to sputter, his brain scrambling to find the right words to explain the situation. Thankfully, Armie saves him the trouble.

“Actually, we’re not together.” At Colin’s furrowed brow, he continues. “We _were_ , when I booked the trip. It was a gift for Timmy’s birthday, which is on the 27th. And in the end we decided we could still come as friends and not waste the whole trip we had planned.”

Colin looks between them for a minute with an unreadable look on his face before his expression smooths out into a smile again. “Well, I think it’s lovely that you can get past any unpleasantness and remain close enough to take a trip like this together as friends. It must be quite a special bond you share. I look forward to learning more about you both along our journey.”

Timmy tries to force out a smile, but he’s sure it probably looks more like a grimace to anyone looking. But Armie seems completely unfazed, like they didn’t just have their first awkward encounter of having to explain to a complete stranger how they’d broken up months ago and yet are choosing to spend the holidays together in a foreign country. Just as his doubts about this whole thing start to creep over him again, the luggage carousel behind them starts up and the bags from the plane begin to roll out, effectively distracting him from going into full panic mode. They are already there, no point in turning back now.

By the time they retrieve their luggage and follow Colin out to where his car is parked, Timmy has sufficiently calmed himself and tries to remember the excitement he felt a little while ago when he stepped off the plane. Colin loads their bags and they get settled into the backseat of the car. It’s not a large vehicle by any means, but it’s a bit roomier than he’d been expecting, enough for Armie’s legs to fit comfortably. He’s glad for that, since they’ll be spending a lot of time in there as they travel to the various cities on their itinerary, and the last thing he wants is to listen to Armie whine about being cramped for hours on end.

A minute later, Colin climbs into the front seat and turns his upper body to look back at them. “Now ehm, your hotel won’t be ready for another while yet, so I can take you to see some of the sights of the city first so you don’t waste half a day of your time just waitin’ around. Did you have any must-see’s on your list?”

Armie looks at him and shrugs, signaling that was fine with him. Timmy thinks about the places they had discussed seeing while they were there, and after a beat he knows where he wants to start.

“How about St. Patrick’s Cathedral?”

Armie gives him a knowing look, lips twisting up in an amused grin.

“Wonderful choice, a beautiful place to start your visit.”

As Colin pulls out of the airport and onto the main road to take them into the heart of Dublin, he and Armie stike up a conversation, getting to know the basic details about each other. Armie fills him in on how he and Timmy met, life in Hollywood and how stepping onto a film set still gives him a thrill even all these years into his career. 

Timmy is mostly quiet, allowing Armie to lead the conversation and only answering a few direct questions when Colin asks specifically about him. But overall, he’s content to listen to the two of them chat while he looks out the window, watching with growing anticipation as they approach the main downtown area of Dublin.

As he listens, he learns that Colin is from County Kerry, is in his mid-50’s and was primarily a farmer up until a few years ago when his son moved just down the street and helped take over the main duties of keeping things running, giving Colin a chance to pick up the private tour gig on the side for a bit of extra spending money. He says that driving is relaxing to him, which Timmy cannot for the life of him relate to, having grown up in New York where driving is generally a nightmare and to be avoided at all costs whenever possible.

When they reach the main part of the city, the conversation switches to Colin pointing out and giving a bit of history of the different sights and areas they drive past. They cross over from the north to drive along the south side of the River Liffey, and Timmy marvels at all the beautiful bridges they pass along the way, each one a different architectural feat with a fascinating background.

They pass by the Temple Bar section of the city, which Armie seems particularly interested in, then turn down another road that soon has them looking up at the majestic cathedral.

“And here we are, the first official stop on your tour of the Emerald Isle : St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”

Timmy steps out of the car and gapes up at the building in front of him. He’s never been particularly religious, but he’s always had a fascination with cathedrals – the architecture and the history and the beauty found inside have always captivated him. He and Armie visited several different churches and cathedrals when they were in Italy for filming, and he’s spent many hours over his lifetime walking through the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in his hometown of Manhattan. So to finally get to see the original in person is a bit overwhelming.

“You ready?”

Armie’s voice echoes to him from a few feet to his left, startling him slightly. “Uhh, yeah. Let’s go.”

Armie used to tease him about the whole thing. He said he’d never seen a Jew spend so much time in Catholic churches before. But yet every time Timmy found a new one to explore, Armie had been right there beside him without complaint.

Colin tells them he’ll be about a block away at a café, and to just text him when they’re ready to leave. They both put his number in their phones before making their way to the front entrance.

The main part of the nave is slightly crowded when they enter. There’s a mass of people huddled together in one corner, which turns out to be a tour group, and several families are scattered over the area.

As Timmy glances around the massive hall, a lump of emotion forms in his throat. It suddenly dawns on him that not only has his dream of being here and seeing this place up close come true, but having Armie with him makes it even more special. And even if the circumstances aren’t exactly as he once imagined, he still can’t be happier to be standing here with him now.

“You know, I’ve never really understood your thing with cathedrals, but I gotta admit, it’s pretty magnificent.”

Timmy turns to look at Armie, whose face has the same awe-struck look that his own had a moment ago, and he can’t help the slow smile that spreads over his face. “I knew I’d convert you eventually.”

Armie looks over to meet his eyes, letting out a soft snort of amusement. “You got me. I suppose there are worse things you could have gotten me into.”

Timmy lets out a small chuckle of his own as they start to move to one side of the nave, eyes going in all directions as they walk, trying to take in every detail of the artistry crafted in the walls, ceiling, the tiles of the floor. The organ begins to play just as they’re making their way into the center of the floor where the choir loft is situated, and the acoustics of the sound reverberating around them send chills up Timmy’s spine.

As they round the front of the cathedral, Timmy is surprised when Armie moves into the chapel and lights one of the candles of remembrance. When he come back out, Armie just gives a half-shrug, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“For my grandma. I think she would have really loved to have seen this.”

Timmy’s breath catches in his throat, knowing how important Armie’s grandmother had been to him. Before Armie could move further away, Timmy reaches out and wraps Armie’s hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Timmy can see the hint of tears welling up behind Armie’s eyes, but before he allows his emotions to take over, Armie clears his throat softly and makes to keep moving through the side of the cathedral they hadn’t seen yet. Timmy takes that as he cue to let go of Armie’s hand, but just before he releases it, Armie turns his hand over and threads their fingers together, tugging lightly, indicating for Timmy to follow him.

He does his best to ignore the swirl of emotion in his gut as they walk the length of the other side back towards the entrance, hand in hand. Neither of them speak, simply stopping every couple of yards to admire the radiance of the sun streaking in through the stained glass windows or to read the quotes etched into the walls.

Just as they come to the end of the main hall and Timmy is debating whether or not to visit the small gift shop they have off in the corner, a choir of handbells begins rehearsing a series of Christmas carols. They decide to sit in one of the back pews for a few minutes to listen, enjoying the way the sound echoes through the space.

After a handful of songs, Armie texts Colin to let him know they were ready to be picked up. Colin is there within five minutes, wide smile on his face and asking where they would like to go next. When Armie suggests the Guinness Storehouse, Timmy is more than happy to go along with it. He figures it’s Armie’s turn to experience something he’s excited about.

It’s only a little after one in the afternoon, but Colin assures them that there’s no such thing as too early to start drinking in Ireland. Armie’s wide grin makes Timmy snort, but he can’t say he’s too upset about the choice of destination, either. Colin drops them off and they head in for the next available tour.

As interesting as he’s sure the history of the drink is, Timmy barely hears a word the tour guide says the entire time. He’s too busy sneaking glances at Armie’s face as they walk through the building, clocking the various expressions of glee and fascination and awe as the man explains the history of the brew and its impact on Irish culture over the generations. 

Timmy can feel the familiar warmth spreading in his belly that he’s felt so many times over their years together. Watching Armie get excited about something, like _really_ excited, is one of his favorite things. It’s like watching a child on Christmas morning, tearing into their gifts with a look of pure joy on their face. Timmy tries to remember the last time he saw Armie like this, and strangely enough, it was when they were planning this very trip. Talking about the various possibilities and places they wanted to see, he could see the same bright spark in Armie’s eyes that he sees now, and somehow that makes him want to cry.

When they reach the end of the tour, they’re led up to the seventh floor to the Gravity Bar, which offers a 360 degree view of Dublin, with floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding the entire way around the circular space. Timmy’s eyes go wide at the sight, and beside him he can hear Armie let out an amazed, “Whoa, this is badass.”

The bartender pours them both a pint of Guinness and they head over to one of the few empty tables on the far side of the room. The view of Dublin below is nothing short of spectacular, and Timmy is almost too distracted looking around at everything to notice when Armie raises his glass in salute. When Armie clears his throat to get his attention, he smiles sheepishly, picking up his own drink and bringing it together with Armie’s before they both take a sip of the world-famous ale.

Armie lets out a noise that Timmy has usually only heard him make in the bedroom, and he can instantly feel the heat creep up the side of his face at that thought. He takes another sip of his beer to try and distract himself, but Armie’s continued audible enjoyment of the drink only serves to make him half hard in his pants, which he prays no one will be able to notice.

Finally, the noises stop, and Armie turns to look out at the view, taking it all in with wide, sparkling eyes and a happy grin. “This is fucking awesome, man. I’m so glad we did this.”

Timmy, trying his best to keep his current predicament from being too obvious, just snorts in amusement. “Who knew a pint of beer would be all it took to make you so happy? Oh wait, _I did_.”

Timmy reaches out his foot under the small table and playfully kicks at Armie’s shin, a teasing smirk on his face. Armie returns the smile with a roll of his eyes.

“No, I mean…well, _yes_ , that too. But I meant _this_ , the whole trip. I’m really glad we decided to come.”

Timmy’s heart stutters for a beat and his smirk fades a bit as he takes in the full meaning of what Armie’s trying to say. He takes a couple of deep breaths before responding, his features smoothing out into a genuine smile. “I’m glad we did, too.”

Armie mirrors his smile with one of his own, and he picks up his glass again, already almost half empty. “Here’s to having a great adventure together, and getting to experience a true Irish Christmas.”

This time when Timmy clinks his glass against Armie’s, he lingers for an extra beat before moving back, holding Armie’s gaze as a quiet, “Cheers,” slips past his lips.

Despite all the uncertainty he felt leading up to the trip, the one thing he’s sure of – this will be an experience he’ll remember for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally added a bit more to the end of this chapter, but then decided it would work better as a way to start the next one instead, so if this one feels like it ended a bit abruptly, that's why. But next chapter will focus a bit more on the boys' relationship and include a couple key conversations, so stay tuned!
> 
> Oh, and if you're interested, head on over to my tumblr page @lfg1986-backup and see the beautiful fan edit that the super awesome and talented almonds8peaches made for this story! <333


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, dear readers! <3
> 
> So uhh, I had planned to post this last night, but then...I kiiiiinda got carried away when I sat down to finish the chapter, and what was originally going to be around a 3.5k chapter is now almost double that, lmao. So I hope you enjoy the extra 3k words of pure fluff, because that's basically what happened last night, and I regret nothing, haha. I think we could all use a bit of that right about now, anyway. :)
> 
> And the end part of this chapter sets up the major plot for the next chapter, which I'm SUPER excited about, so I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. And there are some pretty key conversations between the boys that happen in this one, as well.
> 
> I cannot express how grateful I am to everyone for all the wonderful comments I've received about this fic. It's been such a blast to research and write already, and we're only just beginning! So thank you to all of you for coming along the journey with me, and for keeping me so motivated by all your amazing encouragement. <333

When Colin pulls up to meet them after they finish their beers, he tells them that the hotel called to say their room is ready, so they climb into the car and head over to where they’ll be staying for the first couple of nights in Dublin.

After a short drive, Colin pulls up in front of a large, red-bricked building. There are two small trees on either side of the front entrance, swags of garland hanging across the bottom of each of the windows, and a wreath above the door, all of which are covered in beautiful white lights for the holiday season.

Timmy steps out of the car and looks up, noting that this had to be one of the fanciest hotels in all of Dublin. He’d left picking the accommodations up to Armie when he booked everything, not particularly picky about where they stayed. But this…he really went all out and got them something nice.

As he steps up to the door, there’s a doorman waiting there who pulls open the front door with a wide smile. “Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to the Merrion Hotel.”

He returns the smile with a nod as he passes through the entrance and into the lobby, where he is immediately drawn to the huge Christmas tree that’s placed over by the main staircase leading up to the rooms. The rest of the front hall is decked out in beautiful decorations as well, and he stares in awe at how magical it looks until Armie comes up beside him.

“So, whattaya think? Will this work for you?”

There’s a teasing note to his question, and Timmy would probably scoff if he weren’t too busy taking in all the intricate details of the room. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I think so.” He can’t keep the excitement out of his voice, not that he really tries all that hard. He’s definitely impressed, and they haven’t even gotten past the lobby yet.

“Ok good.” Armie responds with a hint of satisfied laughter, moving past him to make his way to the check-in counter.

“Checking in, reservation under the name Hammer.”

The man behind the counter smiles and types the name into the computer. “Ah yes, here you are, Mr. Hammer. You’ll be staying in the Lord Monck Suite, one of our finest accommodations. I think you’ll find it to your liking. If there’s anything we can help you with during your stay, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”

The man hands Armie a set of room keys and a couple papers to sign, and then before Timmy can even fully stop gawking at the fact that the Christmas tree reaches upwards to the second floor, he and Armie are being ushered up the stairs in the direction of their suite.

As they reach the top floor, the man carrying their bags stops in front of the door of the suite, waiting for one of them to unlock it. Armie steps up quickly and opens the door to the suite, and Timmy’s eyes once again go wide when he sees the beautiful and spacious room Armie booked for them.

As he walks in, there are a pair of arm chairs on either side of the main hallway which leads into a large living area with two couches, several chairs, a desk, and a small fireplace at the far end of the room. Timmy has been in many hotel suites over the years, but there’s something about this one, a particular warmth and charm that he already feels right at home there.

He makes his way over to one of the several windows along the length of the far wall and peers out, finding a gorgeous view overlooking the hotel garden, which is decked out with the same white lights that covered the decorations out front, giving it an ethereal glow that makes Timmy feel warm inside.

Armie thanks the porter and gives him a generous tip for helping them, and then it’s just the two of them, alone in this amazing suite, and Timmy’s heartbeat picks up speed.

“Armie, I –”

“You like?”

Timmy can’t stop the tiny laugh that escapes his throat. “Like?? Armie, this is…it’s wonderful. Thank you.”

He can see the hints of red creeping up Armie’s neck and onto his cheeks before Armie turns his face away shyly, but there’s a wide smile on his face when he turns back a few seconds later.

“I’m glad you approve. Wouldn’t want the birthday boy to be disappointed right from the beginning.”

He can tell Armie is trying to play it off as a joke, but he knows better. After all the years they’ve spent together, he knows all of Armie’s tells, knows when he’s being sincere and when he’s trying to hide some underlying emotion, not that he’s ever been able to successfully hide anything from Timmy.

Timmy walks up and stands directly in front of Armie, forcing him to make eye contact. “I’m serious. In all the craziness of the past few weeks, I don’t think I ever really thanked you properly for doing all of this. You must have spent way more money than I originally thought back when we were planning it, and you could have easily gotten your money back, or just come by yourself or…with someone else. It means a lot that you still wanted to include me in this, despite…everything that happened. So just…thank you.”

The red on Armie’s cheeks deepens to a shade of scarlet, but this time Armie doesn’t turn away. “You’re welcome.”

His voice is so soft, so full of fondness, that Timmy almost leans in on instinct. It’s only when Armie breaks their eye contact and looks down that he stops himself, thankfully before he’d really moved at all. He hopes Armie didn’t notice, not wanting the nice moment between them to turn awkward because he can’t control his emotions.

It’s another few seconds before Armie speaks again, clearing his throat softly. “It wasn’t entirely selfless, you know.”

Timmy blinks, trying to remember what they were talking about before he got wrapped up in his ever-present desire to kiss Armie. “What wasn’t?”

“The trip. I mean, yeah, of course I want you to have a great time and enjoy your birthday in the way you deserve, but also…I’ve missed spending time with you. And selfishly, I was hoping maybe you’d missed spending time with me, too. And I thought…if we could get through this trip together unscathed…”

“What?” It comes out barely a whisper, almost afraid to hear the answer, afraid to hope.

Armie pauses a beat, eyes shifting back up to meet his. “I was hoping we could get back to what we had before.” Timmy’s heart almost bursts out of his chest, and he’s just about to launch himself into Armie’s arms with an exuberant “yes” when Armie continues. “You know…like during filming and the promo tour. Before everything got so complicated and messy. It was so easy between us back then, and I miss that. I miss our friendship, the way it used to be.”

All the air gets suddenly sucked from his lungs, and Timmy struggles for air for several seconds before he finally manages to draw in a shaky breath. He doesn’t trust his voice just yet, so he just nods, watches in acute disappointment as Armie’s face lights up in a bright smile at the idea of them just going back to being friends. 

Not that he had any right to hope or expect anything else, given that Armie had been touting the “friend” line since he suggested the idea, but there had been several moments already since they’d been back together where he’d felt…well, it’s clear that he’d simply misread the situation, his heart still quietly yearning for what they’d lost and not quite ready to accept they may never get it back. But for the sake of not driving himself completely crazy on this trip, he needs to figure out how to be ok with what Armie was offering him and not keep holding out hope for anything more. 

When he takes a minute to consider the options, it’s a no-brainer. Given the choice between having Armie in his life as a friend, or not having him at all, he’ll always choose the former. He’s certainly no stranger to having to push down his more-than-platonic feelings for Armie. He did it for almost 4 years before they finally managed to get their shit together, he can do it again now.

When he’s finally able to speak again, he gives the most sincere smile he can manage and meets Armie’s eyes. “I miss it, too. Miss _you_. It’s been really hard…not talking to you at all these past months. Even just about mundane life shit. It felt like…like a piece of me was missing. I never imagined not having you in my life, so if we can go back to how it was in the beginning, that would be really nice.”

Armie’s eyes search his for a moment before he reaches down to take one of Timmy’s hands in his own, lacing their hands together and giving a small squeeze. Neither of them say anything for a long stretch, just allowing the moment to settle around them, before finally Armie takes a deep breath in. “We should probably finish checking the place out and get our bags put away.”

Timmy lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and nods. “Yeah, good idea.”

Armie gives him another small smile and one more light squeeze to his hand before he lets go and moves back over to the main entrance of the suite where the porter had left their bags. Grabbing them both, he makes his back through the large living area, finally taking a good look around the space and taking it all it. There’s a minibar in the corner, and Timmy can see the way Armie’s eyes light up upon seeing that.

They reach the other side of the long room, and Timmy opens the door to what he presumes must be the main bedroom, stepping back to let Armie walk in first with their bags. He follows behind him, but almost knocks smack into Armie’s back when he suddenly stops short.

“Whoa, Armie, wha –“

“Shit, I totally forgot.”

“Huh? What did you forget?”

Timmy steps around Armie’s frozen form and follows his eyeline to see what made Armie stop so suddenly. It takes him a second to register what the problem is, but then it hits him square in the chest. “ _Oh_.”

He finds he can’t quite look away from the middle of the room, where there’s a giant, incredibly comfortable-looking bed. The _only_ bed, and it seems to taunt him as he continues to stare at it, brain trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation they now find themselves in.

In retrospect, it makes absolutely perfect sense – they were still together when Armie made the reservations, so of course he’d get a room with a king bed. And that means that probably every hotel room they stay in for the entire trip will offer the same awkward scenario as they are in right now. 

His mind seems to be completely unhelpful in trying to find a suitable solution, instead the traitorous organ can only offer unbidden images of him and Armie in bed together, memories of how it felt to be wrapped tightly in Armie’s firm embrace, surrounded by his warmth and the calming feeling it always provided him.

“Umm, ok, it’s fine. We can just call down to the front desk and see if they have any other room with two beds. No problem.”

Armie’s voice snaps him back to the present, and after half a second to let his brain process what he’d said, Timmy’s stomach drops. As much as the situation isn’t ideal, the suite they’re currently in _is_ , and he doesn’t want to have to switch to something else that might not be as nice just because of the whole silly bed issue.

“No wait…don’t – don’t do that. It’s – it’ll be fine. We can figure something out without having to go through all that trouble.”

Armie stops mid-step and looks over to him with a skeptical look. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’s not a huge deal.” He tries to keep his voice calm, despite the wave of uncertainty he feels sloshing around in his gut.

Armie nods, almost more to himself than anything. “Right, ok. Well then, I’ll just sleep on one of the couches in the other room. They looked pretty big, I think it’ll be fine.”

Timmy is about to nod his agreement, thinking that sounds like the most logical suggestion, but then he stops himself. When he thinks about it more closely, even though this trip is objectively for _him_ , Armie is the one paying for everything, and he was the one who made all the arrangements, booked them this beautiful room to begin with. And while sleeping in the same bed with Armie is bound to bring up a lot of emotions that are better left shoved deep down, he’s not sure he can take the guilt he’d feel for relegating Armie to sleeping on a cramped couch the entire time, either.

Just as Armie is about to head back out of the room, bag in hand, Timmy reaches out and grabs his forearm. “Wait, no that’s – it’s silly for you to be cramped onto a couch when we have this huge bed with plenty of room for both of us.” Armie looks at him, eyebrow raised, uncertainty clear in his eyes, mixed with a hint of something else that Timmy knows it’s dangerous to dwell on, but he swallows back his doubt and continues. 

“Look, you were the one who said it didn’t have to be weird if we didn’t let it, right?” He waits a beat, and while Armie nods at the reminder of his own words, his dubious expression doesn’t shift much. “And how many times during filming did one of us fall asleep in the other’s bed? I think if we want to get back to that place, then this shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Armie watches him carefully for a long minute before finally his face relaxes and he lets out a quiet sigh. “If – if you’re sure.”

Armie is still looking at him intently, clearly searching for any sign of hesitation or doubt. It actually makes him feel even more sure that things will be fine, knowing how Armie always puts other people’s feelings above his own. He smooths his face out into a reassuring smile. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’ll be fine.”

Armie holds his gaze for another beat before he nods and gives a relieved smile back in return. “Ok then, it’s settled.” Armie’s bag hits the floor with a thump and Timmy can’t help the tiny chuckle that escapes his throat as he automatically moves to what has always been “his” side of the bed and drops his own bag down in front of the side table.

They both take a few minutes to fully check out the place, finding a spacious bathroom complete with a shower and separate tub, and Armie’s personal favorite – the big fluffy robes and super soft slippers, of which they’d had, at one time, accumulated somewhere around a dozen from various hotels around the world.

Once they get their toiletries and essentials unpacked, Armie asks him what they should do next. They hadn’t really planned a whole lot for the first day, knowing they’d probably be tired from traveling and might want to rest. His first instinct is to take a nap, already feeling the jet lag setting in as he sits on the edge of the bed. But then he knows if he goes to sleep now, he won’t sleep when he actually should, and he should really try to adjust his body clock to the time zone he’ll be in for the next 10 days.

“Umm, I dunno. We could go for a walk somewhere. No need to bother Colin again tonight.”

It had been such a beautiful day out so far, chilly but not freezing, with the sky mostly clear, only a few stray gray clouds here and there. It might be nice to get out and breathe in some of the fresh Irish air for a bit.

“Sure. I think St. Stephen’s Green is only a block or so from here, we can walk over and check it out.”

“Sounds good.” Timmy smiles and inhales deeply as he forces himself to stand up, stretching his arms behind him to get the blood circulating in his body again.

Soon, they’re headed down the street to the large park that all the guidebooks and travel sites said is a must-see for any trip to Dublin. There are few patches of ice left spread out over the grounds, but it looks like it hasn’t snowed for a few days. The brisk breeze feels refreshing as it moves over Timmy’s face, making him feel much more awake and energized than he had a little while ago.

He and Armie just walk in a peaceful silence for a bit, enjoying watching the different people as they pass by, families gathered on the green enjoying a picnic, an older couple sitting huddled together on one of the many benches lining the path, a few soccer players kicking a ball around. 

They pass over a small foot bridge that spans a serene-looking lake filled with ducks, and as they pass by the large fountain in the center of the park, Timmy can’t help but remember all the times he and Armie would walk through Central Park together whenever they had time together in New York. It was one of Timmy’s favorite places in the city, and soon after they got together, Armie came to love it just as much. They’d spent many an afternoon sprawled out on the grass, just lying together and talking about everything and nothing. It was one of the things he missed the most after he and Armie broke up. He hasn’t been able to bring himself to go back to the park since, not sure he could face the emotions it would inevitably dredge up.

Just as they reach the gates that will take them back out onto the main road back to their hotel, Armie stops and turns his whole body to look at him. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready to head back yet. Think we should explore a bit more?”

A slow smile spreads over Timmy’s face. His body no longer feels the lingering exhaustion of travel, the cold air and light workout of the walk having sufficiently reinvigorated him. “Yeah, sure, let’s do it.”

Armie’s whole face breaks out into a grin as he turns back to face forward and they continue walking through the gates, where they are immediately surrounded by hordes of people and several wooden booths lining the sidewalk immediately on the outside of the park’s parameters.

“Oh wow, looks like we found the Christmas market.”

Timmy had read about the Christmas market when he was looking into different things to see and do at Christmastime, and it sounded like a cool thing to walk through. As they make their way down the line of tents, each one with different offerings for sale, Timmy’s eyes scan over all the various artworks and crafts that the people of Dublin have created. A few of the tents have games or other fun experiences for kids, and just as Timmy is eyeing a beautiful Claddagh ring, he feels a sharp tug on his coat before he’s pulled over to the booth beside him, where he sees Armie grinning like an idiot at him.

“What?”

Armie’s eyes shift over to the center of the booth, where there is a short brunette woman with an amused look on her face, and an elf hat on her head. And when his eyes scan down a bit further, he sees several stacks of the very same hat lining the table in front of her. Once he catches on to what Armie is up to, Timmy rolls him eyes and scoffs loudly at him.

“You’ve got to be kidding, right? I’m not wearing one of those.”

But he can already tell it’s not going to be that easy to get Armie to let it go, the mischievous twinkle in his eye making his gut fill with dread over what he’s about to be subjected to.

“Oh, come on! Look!” Armie moves to the side to reveal a life-size cardboard cutout of an elf, with the head section missing so people can place their own face in it. “You get to take a selfie with an elfie!”

The childlike glee with which Armie speaks makes it almost impossible for him to say no, even though he feels completely ridiculous. He stares in mock-horror at the elf cutout for several seconds before sighing loudly. “You’re gonna owe me _big_ for this one.”

The ensuing laugh is _almost_ enough for Timmy to forget about looking like an idiot in an elf hat, and he can’t keep the smile off his face as he pulls the felt material down over his slightly damp curls and tucks the edge behind his ears to keep it from falling off. “There, are you happy?”

The giddy smile on Armie’s face is answer enough, and Timmy gives another long sigh before marching over to stand behind the cutout, placing his face in the empty space at the top.

Armie comes around to stand next to him, suddenly producing a Santa hat from somewhere unknown in his hand and shoving it down on his own head with a happy giggle.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that, right?” Try as he might, he can’t keep the amused laughter out of his voice.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s fun. And that’s what this trip is all about, right? So just go with it, Grinch.”

Armie hip-checks him and chuckles when Timmy turns to look at him, mouth open in shock and disbelief. “Hey! I am _not_ a Grinch! I’m wearing the stupid hat, aren’t I?”

Armie laughs again, nodding in concession to Timmy’s point. “Yes, you are.”

Timmy is about to keep arguing his point when the girl from the booth comes over and stops a few feet in front of them. “You two ready?” Timmy wants to say, “No, I feel stupid,” but instead he just nods and accepts his fate as the girl lines up the shot with her camera. “Ok, smile!” Timmy manages his best fake smile just as the flash from the polaroid camera nearly blinds him. Once the spots fade from his vision, he’s just about to move out from behind the elf cutout when the girl’s voice stops him.

“Umm, wait. Maybe let’s take one more shot. I think we can get some better smiles, don’t you?”

In another circumstance, in another life, he might be tempted to flirt with her. She’s cute and petite, and her soft Irish lilt is very pleasing to listen to.

But right now, in _this_ life, the one where he’s got a silly elf hat on and is being forced to take a picture with Armie as Santa, he kind of wants to throttle her.

“We sure can!”

Armie’s voice calls out next to him, and he’d really like to throttle _him_ , too.

The girl gets back into position, and Timmy really tries, he does, but he can tell his smile is still not super convincing. That is, until he suddenly feels a pair of slender fingers dig into his side and grab on, right in the spot Armie knows always makes him squirm, and his mouth drops open wide in a silent scream-laugh just as the flash goes off again and the picture is snapped.

“Perfect! That’s one for the memory books! Thank you, gents.”

The girl, who Timmy finally notices has a nametag on that says “Christine”, hands Armie the polaroid picture with a wide smile. Armie gives her some cash, presumably for the picture, but when Timmy takes the hat off and tries to put it back on the table, Christine shakes her head. “Oh no, that’s yours to keep. Already paid for.”

He hears the soft snort next to him, and he knows Armie must be enjoying the hell out of him now being stuck with this stupid hat. He smiles as warmly as he can manage at Christine before moving away from the booth and back out into the crowd of people. When Armie catches up to him a few seconds later, Timmy reaches out and smacks him in the stomach, to which he just receives more laughter.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do with this, Armie?”

Armie just keeps laughing, obviously too amused by the situation to notice his annoyance. Luckily, after another minute of walking, Timmy spots a little boy holding his mother’s hand as she orders them a crepe from one of the food stands. Walking up to him slowly, trying not to come off too creepy, he squats down so that he’s eye-level with the kid.

“Hey there, my name’s Timmy. What’s yours?”

At the sound of a stranger talking to her son, the mother turns back to look down at him, and he gives his best innocent-looking smile as he nods toward the hat in his hands. The mother seems to understand his intentions, so she gives a small nod, but continues to watch him closely as he talks to her son.

“My name is Emmett.” The little boy, who was probably around 6, gives a shy smile but sways his body closer to his mother.

“Hi Emmett. Listen, I have this hat here, but I think it would look much better on you. Would you like to try it on?”

Emmett stares at him for a minute before finally nodding and giving another small smile, moving forward a step so Timmy can place the hat on his head.

“Oh wow, that looks great! This hat was definitely made for you to wear. Would you like to keep it?”

Emmett looks up at his mother, who now has a fond look of appreciation on her face and nods at her son that it’s ok. Emmett looks back at him with a toothy grin and nods happily.

Timmy smiles back as he stands back up to his full height, waving at Emmett and the mother before heading back to where Armie is still standing, having watched the whole scene unfold.

“Well, that was very sweet of you, Mr. Chalamet.”

Timmy roles his eyes at the use of his last name, but he feels a burst of happiness in his chest at both the feeling of making Emmett happy and at receiving praise from Armie. Some things never change, it seems.

The sun dips below the horizon as night begins to fall around them, the city still bustling with life in every direction. They continue walking until they hit the edge of Grafton Street, where the entire way is lit up in gorgeous white lights everywhere, big illuminated swoops that span from one side of the street to the other, and huge hanging chandeliers lighting up the center of the path as far as their eyes can see. 

As they walk by all the various stores that line the famous shopping street, Timmy makes a mental note of a few places he’d like to come back to during the daytime hours if they have a chance. There are several jewelry stores, some higher end clothing stores mixed in with some more affordable options, and a plethora of souvenir shops along the way.

Once they reach the other end, stopping for a moment to look up and admire the huge lighted sign that reads “Nollaig Shona Duit” as people move in all directions around them, they decide they should probably get something to eat. 

After walking another couple of blocks, they find a cozy pub that doesn’t look super crowded and duck inside. Armie orders a beer, while Timmy decides to try one of their signature cocktails, which he later decides was the better choice. They look over the menu, Armie going to the traditional fish and chips, and Timmy getting the Chicken Florentine. 

The food was ends up being pretty good, if a bit pricey, but it’s the atmosphere that has Timmy’s mouth stuck in a permanent grin the entire time. Just as their food arrives, a man with a fiddle comes in and sets up in one of the corners, and within minutes, the entire pub breaks out in song, cycling through a list of popular Christmas songs. Some of them he knows and quietly hums along around his bites of food, but a lot of them are more traditional Irish songs that he’s unfamiliar with but enjoys listening to as he finishes his meal. Armie seems to be enjoying the unexpected concert as much as he is, if the light in his eyes and the dopey smile are any indication.

When the first few chords of “Fairytale of New York” start up, Timmy’s chest fills with warmth, the familiar feeling of home and memories of singing this song with Pauline throughout his childhood instantly flooding into his mind. When they get to the chorus, he feels something large and warm land just above his knee, and he turns to look at Armie, who is gazing at him with a meaningful expression. 

They, too, have some great memories involving this song, and for just a minute, he’s back in their New York apartment during their first Christmas as a couple, standing on a rickety stepstool trying to place the star on top of the tree, insisting he could do it despite Armie’s obvious height advantage. The song was blasting through their huge stereo system just as Timmy lost his balance and started to tumble head-first into the tree. But then suddenly he was wrapped in a pair of strong, solid arms, which – after making sure he wasn’t hurt – lifted him up just high enough so that he could place the star on the top branch before bringing him back down so their lips could meet in a soft kiss. And as the boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay for the 5th time in the song, Armie said, “I love you” to Timmy for the first time.

As the song ends, and the pub erupts with cheers and people calling out suggestions for the next tune, Timmy feels a tightness in his chest at the stirring memories, and an urgency in his bladder from having a second cocktail while they listened to the music. He clears his throat and slides out of his chair, Armie’s hand falling away from his knee with the movement.

“I gotta pee. Be back in a minute.”

He barely waits for Armie’s nod of acknowledgment before he takes off in the direction of the men’s room, hoping a bit of distance from Armie and the unmistakable stench of urine might help quell the feeling of desire that’s beginning to creep over him, despite his best efforts to keep himself in check.

The line for the bathroom is longer than he expected, although it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Gives him a few extra minutes to calm down and remember he and Armie are just friends now. He discovers the reason for the holdup is due to a couple of people at the front of the line who are too busy chatting and laughing with each other, they don’t seem to notice the people going in and out of the small restroom area and the need to keep the line moving. A couple people end up cutting around them, which hardly seems to bother them, but eventually they take their turn and the line begins to flow again.

By the time he gets back to the table, it’s been about ten minutes. And yet somehow in that short time, Armie has managed to strike up an entire conversation with a group of guys, who look like they could be some kind of sports team or something. Most of them look to be about mid-to-late thirties, with one clearly older gentleman with a long greying beard.

When Timmy approaches the table, trying to figure out how to get back to his seat with somewhere around a dozen people surrounding the area, Armie spots him and calls over to him.

“Hey Timmy! Come ‘ere.”

The crowd turns to look at him, the few guys standing nearest to his chair politely moving to the side so he could sit back down.

“Guys, this is Timmy. Timmy, these are…the guys!”

Timmy’s eyebrows shoot up, not understanding anything of what’s going on, but he gives a small wave in the direction of the group, who all wave and greet him in return. He turns to Armie, trying to speak lowly enough so the group of strange men surrounding him don’t overhear. “Umm, Armie? Who are all these people?”

Armie just smiles widely at him. “While you were gone, I overheard these guys talking about some awesome-sounding Irish Christmas tradition, and I called them over to find out more about it.”

Timmy’s a bit surprised by that answer, but he can’t help but be a bit intrigued, as well. “Oh yeah, what is it?”

The grin on Armie’s face gets impossibly wider as he explains, “It’s called The 12 Pubs of Christmas.”

Timmy’s stomach immediately drops, knowing whatever is coming next is most likely going to be a terrible idea, but he can’t deny how damn happy Armie looks at…whatever that is. He takes a deep breath before he asks, “What, exactly, is the 12 Pubs of Christmas?”

“Well here, I’ll let Ryan explain it. This is Ryan.” Armie gestures to the guy standing to Armie’s left, who immediately reaches a hand over in offering to Timmy. 

Timmy accepts it and gives it a firm shake, still not sure what is happening, but he doesn’t want to be rude, and the guy seems friendly enough. “Hi, Ryan. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeh, you too, Timmy. Your mate here was askin’ about joinin’ me and the crew tomorrow night for the 12 Pubs. It’s just like it sounds, you pick 12 pubs you wanna hit over the course of a night, usually spend about half hour or so at each before moving on, and at each one, you drink a pint. Each pub has a special rule to go along with it, too. Some are easier than others to stick to, but it’s loads of fun. We do it every year, and we’d be happy for ya boys to come along wit’ us this time, if ya think yer up for it.”

Timmy listens to Ryan’s explanation and can already foresee about a dozen ways for this to go horribly wrong, including them being rushed to the nearest hospital for alcohol poisoning. But when he looks over at Armie, his face is so damn hopeful and excited, he can’t find it in him to outright say no. He figures reasoning with him might be a better tactic. “I dunno, Armie. Are you sure this is a good idea? Twelve pints is _a lot_ , even for you.”

But Armie seems completely unconcerned, waving a hand between them as if it dismiss the idea. “Nah, it’ll be fine. Besides, it will be fun to get to spend some time with the locals, get to experience what it’s really like here instead of just all the touristy stuff.” He must still look unconvinced, because suddenly Armie is in his space, huddled close to him with his head just inches away from Timmy’s. “Ok how about this? What if we agree to just do four pubs to begin with? That’s around two hours. And if after that, you’re not having fun, we’ll bail and do something else, whatever you choose.”

Timmy considers Armie’s proposition for a long minute. He has to admit, it sounds pretty fair, and if he isn’t into it, they don’t have to do the rest and he and Armie can have more time for themselves. It’s not that he doesn’t find the idea in itself at least somewhat appealing – he’s always up for a good pub crawl or drinking game, within reason – but he can’t shake the unwelcome sting of jealousy from suddenly having to share his already limited time with Armie with a bunch of guys they’ve never met, nice as they may be.

But he can’t exactly tell Armie that, and he can’t think of any other legitimate reason to say no. He slides his eyes up to meet Armie’s, where he can see the quiet plea to go along with it, and he lets out a long sigh. “Yeah, ok. That sounds like it could be fun.”

Armie’s face lights up with pure joy as he turns back to Ryan with a face-splitting grin. “We’re in!”

The entire group erupts with cheers as they all embrace each other, then Armie, and finally, Timmy. Ryan says they haven’t nailed down their exact route for the different pubs quite yet, so Armie gives him his number and says to just text them the information on where and when to meet them.

After they exchange information, Timmy makes a motion toward the door, indicating he was ready to call it a night. Despite his second wind earlier, he’s starting to fade fast now, and he’s ready to faceplant into their nice, comfy bed for a good ten hours or so.

They make their way back to the hotel, Armie talking part of the way, explaining some of the other details for their pub adventure the following night. Apparently these “rules” are randomly chosen by the leader of the group, whom he assumes is Ryan. And each one has a penalty if it isn’t adhered to for the full time the group is in that pub.

When they finally reach the hotel, Timmy is exhausted, deciding to forgo a shower until morning. While Armie is taking his shower, his phone beeps with an incoming text message from the other side of the bed. Timmy catches himself before he reaches over on instinct to open it. They’d had an “open phone” policy while they were together, but he wasn’t sure that would still be appropriate now.

When Armie emerges from the bathroom a few minutes later, wrapped in a towel and followed by a trail of steam, Timmy looks up from the book he’d started and tries not to think about all the miles of golden skin that will be laying next to him all night long. “Umm, you got a text a few minutes ago. Probably that Ryan guy.”

“Oh, thanks.” Armie finishes drying off before stepping into a pair of sleep pants and sliding into the other side of the bed. Timmy resolutely doesn’t comment on the pants, since he, too, had chosen to bring some along to avoid the weirdness of sleeping naked in the same room, despite it being what they’ve always done.

He feels the bed shift as Armie reaches over to grab his phone and open the text. A few seconds later, he hears a chuckle, followed by an, “oh shit,” which sounded like a cross between amusement and shock.

“What?”

There’s a brief pause, then the bed shifts again as Armie rolls closer to his side, the arm closest to him stretched out and offering Timmy his open phone without any hesitation. “Dude, you should look at this. It sounds awesome.”

Timmy takes the proffered phone, trying not to let curiosity get the better of him about what else he might find if he were to keep looking. He shakes the thought away, bringing the screen closer to his face to read the tiny print.

It’s true, from the way it’s laid out overall in the text, the whole thing looks like it should be a fun night. But then he keeps scrolling and he reaches the “rules” section. Some of them seem easy enough – drink with your bad hand, no pointing – but then as he scrolls further down the list, they get more complicated. His eyes go wide at the “no toilets” at Pub #9, and when he sees “speak in song” next to Pub #11, he wonders, not for the first time that night, just what he’s gotten himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, the 12 Pubs of Christmas, which is a real thing that they do in Ireland and other UK countries, is going to be the main focus of next chapter. I cannot WAIT to share it with you all!!
> 
> Also, the whole "selfie with an elfie" thing is ALSO a real thing, lol. I saw it while I was watching Youtube videos about the various things they have at the Christmas market, so that whole section with Timmy and the elf hat just kinda...materialized last night while I was typing. I just couldn't resist the opportunity to use that for an extra bit of fluffy fun. I hope you liked it! ;)
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @lfg1986-backup if you want to follow or chat with me there! <333


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